bloodandhonorfandomcom-20200214-history
Event: Blood Harvest Part 4a
Moving ahead with the story arc in which Graydon Strykia has been captured by the Imperials, I wanted to definitely give the feel that this point in time is the "Empire Strikes Back" of the Bloodlines Anthology. It was also set up to correspond with the events that occurred in Episode V. But I really want to illustrate that Blood Harvest is a huge turning point for the heroes. There has been a huge amount of drama and tragedy in all the works that came before this segment. I didn't want to necessarily tone that down, but I did want to start on a different path for the heroes in the story. For the most part, I needed a humble Graydon Strykia to become even more humble. Even though he's been written as a strong, level character, I wanted to show that his destiny isn't etched in stone and the road before him has a lot of forks in it yet. And while Graydon is the main protagonist in the story, I want the reader to remember that he's not the chosen one. That person is and always will be Luke Skywalker and in some form, Anakin Skywalker. I included an excerpt from "Empire Strikes Back" for flavor and also to help tie in the time period and feel. The Empire is at the height of it's power, but that will soon change. Blood Harvest Part 4a: Hidden Agendas The holograms of the Imperial Star Captains fade off one by one as Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, finished his communications with the ships in his fleet, Death Squadron. This force of Imperial warships and personnel had been tasked with hunting down the core of the Alliance to Restore the Republic following the Battle of Yavin. Their mission had been successful. The forces had utterly destroyed the rebel forces on the ice world of Hoth and were now pursuing those that had escaped. Following the Star Destroyer Avenger, some of the other ships, including the Executor, now pursued the Millennium Falcon through the chaotic asteroid belt on the outskirts of the Anoat System. Vader had become obsessed with capturing that ship. As the Dark Lord turned, he found Admiral Piett, commander of the Super Star Destroyer, Executor, approaching him. “Now what's so important it couldn't wait, Admiral? Speak!” Vader said in an ominous tone. “It was... the Emperor...” Piett responded, obviously scared over interrupting the Dark Lord, afraid of his response. Ever since Vader had been assigned the task of tracking down the Rebels, he had been relentless. Vader left no room for disappointment from anyone, no matter their rank or status within the Imperial military. “The Emperor?” “Yes, he commands you make contact with him…” Piett responded again. “Move the ship out of the asteroid field and into a position where we can send a clear transmission.” Vader ordered. “Yes, My Lord.” “And code the signal to my private chamber.” Vader added as he turned to leave the bridge of the Imperial command vessel. A short time later, Darth Vader stood before a shimmering holographic image which slowly came into focus. The image of Sate Pestage, Grand Vizier to His Eminence, the Emperor, coalesced in front of Vader. “Sate Pestage, I would see the Emperor. He commands it.” Vader said. “I must warn you, Lord Vader, the Emperor is in a foul mood. He bids you wait. Have you any progress to report?” Pestage responded. “The rebel base on Hoth has been destroyed. I am tracking down the survivors now.” Vader answered. “The Emperor will be with you in time.” “I wait at his convenience.” Vader said, allowing the hologram to fade. Vader paced in his private chamber as he waited. A mix of anger and fear coursing through him. He knew that he had to await the Emperor, a prisoner to his master’s leisure. Vader knew the price for disappointing the Emperor, the man also known as Darth Sidious, the true Dark Lord of the Sith. To Emperor Palpatine, or Sidious, Vader was a mere apprentice. Darth Sidious would make an example of Vader, inflicting pain like no other upon Vader if he disappointed him. Finally, the signal came indicating that the Emperor was contacting him. Kneeling down on a circular pad, strange sounds were heard as he was bathed in a strange light, reflecting off of his black, armored form. Vader glanced up from his bow. A twelve foot hologram of the Galactic Emperor, the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious, materialized before Vader. The Emperor's face was shrouded deep in dark robes with a monk's hood, reminiscent of the cloak so often worn by the Jedi of the past. His voice was raspy and almost shrill at times. Sidious’ voice carried more malice and evil, making it more frightening than Vader's. “Arise, Lord Vader.” Vader stood, but his emotions kept his head bowed as he spoke. “What is thy bidding, my Master?” “There is a great disturbance in the Force.” “I have felt it.” Vader responded. “Our situation is most precarious.” The Emperor continued. “We have a new enemy. The young rebel who destroyed the Death Star. I have no doubt that this boy is the offspring of Anakin Skywalker.” “How is that possible?” Vader asked. “Search your feelings, my apprentice.” Darth Sidious answered. “You know it to be true. He could destroy us.” “He's just a boy.” Vader responded. “Obi-wan can no longer help him.” “The Force is strong with him. The son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi.” “If he could be turned, he would become a powerful ally.” Vader quickly countered. “Yes.” Sidious slowly responded. “Yes. That would be a great asset. Can it be done?” “He will join us or die, my Master.” Vader knelt as he spoke. The master of the Sith and ruler of the galaxy passed a hand over the crouched apprentice and then faded away. For more than thirty years, the Force had been blanketed, or at least the Light side of the Force had been masked by the power of the Dark side. With the re-emergence of the Sith, the Dark side had grown powerful. It had masked the Force and it’s true potential from the servants of the Force, the Jedi. It had led to the downfall of the great order at the end of the Clone Wars. Ever since that time, the Sith had dominated the Force. But as it had so often, the Force sought to retain some balance. Events were soon to happen that would begin to restore a balance to the Force. The waning days of the Sith’s rule over the galaxy would see terrible events come to pass. But the shift in power and balance was soon to be underway. The Sith would make one last attempt to keep the Light side shrouded. But their grand plans would soon begin to unravel. In the coming days, a small glimmering of hope would begin, first on the remote planet of Bespin, also on another world in the Mid Rim territories. ---- The first awareness of a constant danger assailed Graydon as he finally regained consciousness. He found himself suspended in a magnetic containment field with metal binders around his wrists and ankles. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he noted the slight electrical charges coursing across the outside of the magnetic field. Even though his head hurt, he was able to recall the memory from his childhood when his mother had discussed the Geonosian Containment field used on Jedi during the Clone Wars. The cell he was in was devoid of anything but the field emitters and the power structure. The bare, gray walls were standard Imperial design, with the typical sliding doors located in front of him, in the cell wall. The light was dim, but provided enough illumination for him to see his surroundings. The door hissed open, admitting three individuals. Graydon immediately recognized the Teshanni, Terra, along with Colonel Weyre. The third was a human male, tall and military-like. His white and black uniform was pristine. There was also a cold air about him. Graydon could sense that there was darkness within him, almost eclipsing what he had encountered in Imperial Darksiders before. “Lord Strykia.” Colonel Weyre gave Graydon a cold smile. “I’m glad to see you awake.” Graydon remained silent. “I note your defiance, but I assure you, it’s futile at this point.” Weyre added, frowning. “Fine.” Graydon tried to muster as much dignity as he could, lacing it with his defiance towards the Empire. “What do you want?” “We have you as our guest. That’s what we want.” Weyre answered. “The Empire wants you where we can be assured you won’t be any trouble, Strykia.” The other man added in. “You have caused too much trouble already.” “Just wait.” Graydon forced a smile. “I’m just getting started.” “That’s precisely what I mean.” The man stepped towards the containment field. Staring Graydon down, he maintained an icy air. “You have attempted to start a fire that you can’t hope to control.” “You have no idea what I’m trying to start. Am I under arrest?” “Your list of crimes against the New Order is becoming very long.” The man said. “Treason against the Empire, Conspiring to overthrow the Empire, Aggression against Imperial personnel, Impersonating Imperial personnel, Destruction of Imperial property, Theft of Imperial property… Shall I continue?” Graydon immediately went on the offensive, attempting to goad the man on. “Is that all? I thought that the list was quite a bit longer.” “Charming, I’m sure. I was under the assumption that you would have been raised with better manners than a common smuggler.” The man retorted. “The list is longer. Possession of an illegal weapon, Falsification of Imperial documents, Aiding and abetting known rebels… I would think that a person of your status wouldn’t gloat about these things. The last one I want to point out is perhaps the biggest: Murder.” “If you call defense of others or self, murder, then by all means, I’m guilty. As for the other charges, I must be guilty under Imperial law. However, since the Empire is guilty of treason against the Republic and the sovereign governments of the senate, your claims are null and void.” Graydon fell silent after his counter. “Feel secure in your wit. When your execution comes closer, we’ll see how it serves you.” The man gave Graydon a smile that was anything but genuine. From behind his back, he produced a small device. Pushing a red button, Graydon was suddenly bathed in a harsh, electrical shock. He tensed as the first stun shock coursed over him. As soon as it had dissipated, the man sent another shock through Graydon's body. The stun shocks were enough to cause extreme pain without any permanent damage. Graydon was able to remain conscious through both shocks, but barely. "I promise that I'm just starting." The Imperial hissed. He smiled as Graydon struggled to raise his head to face the evil henchmen of the Empire with even more defiance. Almost on cue, as soon as the man had finished, the cell door opened again. Graydon immediately felt the dark presence in the Force as the newcomer entered. Dressed in silvery, red robes, the tall man seemed to glide in effortlessly. “As it was expressed before, Strykia is not to be harmed.” Came the spectral, haunting voice of the newcomer. “Lord Rhakyhl… I wasn’t aware that you had arrived.” Weyre quickly said. “I doubt that, Colonel. As for you General Palter, I assumed that you would want to use Strykia as a pawn against the Inquisitorous and Imperial Intelligence.” Graydon watched as Weyre’s demeanor changed, along with his green-skinned lackey. Graydon was surprised to see her cringe away from this enigma. Graydon had heard Weyre address this new person and he quickly recalled Verys’ warning to him of the man called Rhakyhl. “I promise that you will have time to speak with Lord Strykia again, but for now, you will leave us so that I may speak with him alone.” Rhakyhl seemed to fix his gaze on the other Imperials, even though the shroud covering his face prevented Graydon from being able to see his face. Almost as if they were possessed, the trio left the cell. Once the cell was empty, Rhakyhl approached the containment field. Even through the metallic-like fabric of his shroud, Graydon could feel the Darksider’s gaze upon him. It was a cold feeling, sending a chill down the younger man’s spine. “You have become everything I have foreseen.” Rhakyhl said in his ominous, wavering voice. “Indeed, we were wise to take the precautions we did against you.” “If you’re going to kill me, get it over with.” Graydon said through gritted teeth. Still recovering from the recent stun shocks, he wasn’t about to show weakness in front of this being. He was determined to face his fate as a true Jinsai would. “I will not kill you, Graydon Strykia.” Rhakyhl drew as close as he dared, examining Graydon through the magnetic field. “Your fate is not mine to determine.” “You can take me before your Emperor then, but I will not serve the Empire.” Graydon tried to summon up as much defiance as he could. “You’ll be forced to destroy me.” “You are important. But you understand that, don’t you?” Rhakyhl began to circle Graydon as he remained suspended in the containment field. “Don’t be too prideful, though, young Jinsai. You have placed a large amount of importance upon yourself. I sense that you feel as if your destiny will matter to the galaxy.” “My destiny is to fight the Empire.” “That may be true, now.” Rhakyhl halted in front of Graydon again. “There are others that hold more weight than you in the outcome of this war. When it comes to this war with the Rebellion, you are but a speck. The focus isn’t even close to being put on you. Even now, events are occurring that will begin to shape the future for us all.” “The harder the Empire tries to control the galaxy, the more the galaxy will rebel against your New Order.” Graydon felt a wave of hatred wash over him. A part of him wanted to give into that hate, striking out at Rhakyhl, then at the others that had brought him here. But the larger part of him stayed his hand and helped keep him centered in his training. Rhakyhl gave pause, looking at Graydon, watching him closely. “There is one destined to finish all of this, but not you.” “I’ll finish you then. It’s the least I can do.” “Defiance and hatred. I can sense them in you.” Rhakyhl turned to face the young Jinsai. “Perhaps the course has changed to make my visions true from a different point of view. I never considered that your destiny might follow your brother’s. It would make sense.” The weight of Rhakyhl’s words shocked Graydon. He looked inside, wondering if he was setting foot onto the same path as Dontaine had, long ago. He belittled himself for even contemplating using the Dark side to lash out at his captors. Everything he had experienced and everything that he had trained for was now going to be put to the test. Graydon reminded himself that he had to stay strong and not be swayed by evil words. “Perhaps your path is to reign beside her, using the Dark side to solidify your power.” Rhakyhl remained in front of Graydon, watching for any signs within the young Antrixian. He was looking for any clue that might give him insight into the young man’s current destiny. “The former Inquisitor and the new High Lord, ruling together.” “I won’t give in to the Dark side that easily.” Graydon tried to calm his voice. “And I won’t ally myself with a person who gave up everything she was in hopes of beating the Dark side from within.” “Search your feelings, young Strykia.” Rhakyhl calmly stated, almost mocking Graydon. “You know that what I say is true.” “I also know that the Dark side uses deceit to achieve it’s own malicious agendas.” Now Graydon’s defiance was focused in the Light side. “I won’t be deceived.” “Still, you know what I say has some truth to it.” Rhakyhl began circling again. “Since before you were born, I have been part of the Dark side. We have watched the galaxy as we serve the Emperor, trying to see what lies ahead of us. Through the Force, we look into the future. Your destiny caught my attention years ago. It’s your future that I care about. That’s why you still live.” Graydon took a moment to absorb the strange man’s words. Doubt raced into his mind, attempting to override his control. What if he had set upon the path to the Dark side already? It was a destiny he did not want to embrace. Once again, Graydon pushed the negative emotions down. He used his teachings to center himself once again, despite the discomfort he felt. “You’re too important to the future, young one. For now, you will remain my captive. Once Harkness arrives, we will begin to figure out how best to use you.” ---- Rena looked around the control center of what was now being called Eidolon Station. It felt like anything but home currently, even though she’d spent roughly a month on board already. Things were settling into place as far as operations were concerned, but she felt an absence on the station that she didn’t realize would be so profound. Upon leaving Phantom Station for the last time, Rena had acted rashly, belittling Graydon for a coupling that, now that she looked at it, wasn’t any different than anything she had done in the past. In fact, she looked at it as just one more cruel twist of fate push upon Graydon. Before Graydon and Rena had come together in a true romantic coupling, the young Antrixian had met with and been seduced by a woman that turned out to be a High Inquisitor for the Empire. Lady Danara had hid her true identity from Graydon and seduced him. The end result had been a child born from their coupling. That child now stood to be the heir to the High Seat of the Antrixian Commonwealth should anything happen to Graydon. And right now, Rena was beginning to worry that the child might be inheriting his birthright sooner than anyone thought. Rena had fled away from Graydon very fast, leaving the man alone in a starfighter light years away from what was now supposed to be his home. Upon the return of everyone else that narrowly escaped the Drak raid on the derelict Phantom Station before it was destroyed by a self-destruct command, Rena had found out that Graydon had yet to return. Worse, CJ and her crew had left again shortly after the heated discussion between the Rotronian and the Corellian focusing on Graydon’s absence and Rena’s behavior. With CJ’s return following the rebel defeat on Hoth, Rena had relaxed a bit more. But CJ and Anna had soon afterwards disappeared and no one was sure where they had gone. Now, Rena stood, watching and waiting for long hours every day, hoping that the next ship entering space near Eidolon Station would be a small Antrixian fighter, bringing Graydon home. Eidolon Station had successfully made it’s hyperspace jump from Wild Space into an orbit over the ancient world of Trudaa. The lush, almost unspoiled planet slowly rotated under the station without care towards the inhabitants of the space station or the crews of the twenty-some capital ships that now guarded the planet and facility. The combined forces of the Nova Wolves fleet and the Shadow Wolves strike force had taken up a defensive perimeter, watching for potential threats coming in to disrupt Eidolon Station’s new home. Very few of the ships were absent from the combined forces right now, making for a formidable defense force. So far, the only traffic in or out of the system had been ships allied with Rena or the Wolves, delivering cargo to the station. “Lady Traabo.” Came the voice of one of the female operators in the control center. “We have five ships reverting to realspace!” Rena immediately frowned in response. Although some of the crew hadn’t been working on the station very long, they had all taken to addressing her as a noble. It was all part of her being in a relationship with Graydon which she understood, but she wasn’t of noble blood. She almost resented the title the members of the Antrixian forces insisted on using with her. She slowly walked over to the control console before saying anything. “What are they?” Rena asked as she looked down at the sensor readout. “Unknown yet.” The controller responded. “We’re still getting too much interference from the asteroids to get clear pictures beyond the belt.” “Damnit, B’Elanna!” Rena scowled. “I said I wanted those sensors calibrated first thing four days ago.” From behind her, Rena’s long time outlaw tech, B’Elanna, responded with her usual response as of late. “If this hunk of junk wasn’t an antique from the dawn of the galaxy, I’d have them fixed. We’ve had to replace ten buffers and to relay arrays so far, not to mention that the secondary focusing tower is out of alignment.” “Okay, okay. I know.” Rena’s frown softened. “You’ll get it done. I wish I didn’t feel like we were half blind, though.” “Miss Traabo? Is there a problem?” The almost core-accented voice of Rear Admiral Atticus Tyrell interrupted Rena from continuing. Rena turned to find the Admiral, along with his normal guard, Armik Mohaim approaching from the primary lift doors. Atticus drifted along in his repulsor chair the same as usual. Years before, he had suffered a permanent injury to his spine during a raid against Imperial forces in the Antrixian Commonwealth. Since then, he had been confined to the repulsor chair. The commander of the destroyer, the Endurance, Admiral Tyrell had been stationed here to assist with anything the Shadow Wolves needed along with bringing the newly promoted Commander Taless Bashere up to speed with operations. As High Admiral Strykia had said though, it wasn’t the man’s physical condition that made him valuable, it was his mind. Rena had to admit that Atticus seemed to be brilliant. He was innovative and intuitive, while still being a compassionate man. But he commanded respect from those that served under him. “Yes, Admiral.” Rena responded. “We had five ships just enter the outer system but can’t identify them yet.” “What can you tell me so far, operator?” The Admiral asked, directing his question at the Antrixian crewmember. “It would appear that there are communications going back and forth between the vessels, Admiral, sir.” The operator responded. “I can only tell you that three of the vessels are capital ships. The other two may be escorts or fighters.” “More than likely not Imperial ships then, judging from their operating procedures.” The Admiral casually said. “Link an incoming data stream from the Endurance and use their telemetry data to complete your sensor information until we can remedy the station’s situation.” “Yes sir, Admiral.” The controller responded. “Thank you, Admiral.” Rena added in. “Don’t thank me, at least not yet.” Atticus gave her a comforting smile. “We should have been doing this from day one. If the Black Bloods and the Imperials come for a visit, we all need to be prepared. And even though we are treating Eidolon Station as a civilian port, we all need to work together for the protection of everyone.” Rena nodded to the Admiral in agreement, knowing that he was right. She wanted to get things back to normal, but knew that her destiny was now intertwined with Graydon’s, meaning that she might be tied in to the war against the Empire more than she desired to be. She felt stuck right then and there. She was caught between Nihtrad and the controlling desires of Bartok the Hutt on one side and the Antrixian Resistance who had already sacrificed enough on her behalf. Rena watched the sensor screen as data began to flow in from the sensors of the cruiser, the Endurance and the fighters patrolling for their mother ship. A wave of relief began to wash over her as the ships were identified. First and foremost, the lead ships were identified as the Lightning’s Ride and an Antrixian Shoto-class fighter. The cruiser, the Damodred, along with the Corvette, the Dark Mistress, followed close behind. Bringing up the rear was the twin ship to the Endurance, the Sol’voc-class destroyer, the Freedom. Rena’s hopes jumped as she saw the readout. “Open a channel to the Lightning’s Ride, please.” Moments later, the video link with the cockpit of the Ride showed a haggard Cassandra Morgan and a tentative young Anna was established. The look on CJ’s face dried up the hope in Rena’s heart and made it jump into her throat. “Please tell me good news, CJ.” Rena said in an almost pleading tone. “We recovered Blade’s fighter on Mon Gazza.” CJ responded with a cold, emotionless tone. It was obvious that she was running on nothing more than pure willpower by now. The dark circles under her eyes and the pallor of her skin made her look more sick than tired. “What do you mean you recovered his fighter?” “We found it on Mon Gazza.” CJ answered back. “We also know that an Imperial laid a trap for him on Mon Gazza and that he’s in Imperial custody now.” “How?” “I’ll explain everything once we dock.” CJ said and quickly terminated the communication on her end. Rena looked up from the screen, feeling like she’d just been hit in the stomach by a Gamorrean. The room felt like it was spinning. The last thing she remembered was Belle sprinting to her side as she felt her legs begin to give out. *** The landing cycle completed and CJ began to descend down the ramp, into one of the smaller, private hangers on the station. She braced herself against the hydraulic lifts of the ramp to try and steady herself as she made her way to the hanger deck. Anna was right beside her, trying to help steady her as she went. Between her exhaustion and the shock she felt, CJ didn’t see Sebastian waiting for her at the bottom of the ramp until she half fell into his awaiting arms. Shalranna was there too, helping Bas scoop up CJ and carry her across the hanger. Her awareness of her fiancé and co-pilot finally triggered a release somewhere deep inside. Burying her head against his chest, CJ began to cry in earnest, the dam on her emotions finally releasing. The past few months had been taxing on everyone. With the death of her father, followed by the attack on Phantom Station by Dontaine Strykia, CJ had to bring out a harder, often cynical side, to her personality. Being caught between the rebels and the Empire on Hoth hadn’t helped either. CJ was rallied by the ideals that Graydon had so often imparted onto the crew of her ship. She, more than anything, wanted to continue on with the fight against the Empire. She wanted to help the man who she had initially been attracted to and then became her closest friend. She wanted to see him succeed in liberating his homeworld from the Empire. The thought of Graydon being captured by the Empire and possibly dying because of his ideals rocked her. He had set her course, even before her father had been killed. Graydon had influenced her and her father in profound ways. Graydon had even helped rekindle the flames of her heart towards Bas in some ways. “What are we going to do?” CJ quietly cried into Bas’ shoulder as he gently laid her down on a couch in one of the crew lounges. “What happened?” Bas gently asked. “Imperials captured Blade on Mon Gazza.” CJ sobbed. “Oh no.” Bas quietly responded. His time as a Sector Ranger gave him knowledge as to what fate awaited a person like Graydon. For as long as he had known him, Bas considered Graydon to be one of the most noble, yet humble individuals ever. The man faced adversity at each corner, yet persevered through each and every trial. Even his adopting of Anna was a noble deed, considering the amount of strings that came attached to Anna and her estranged mother, lady Danara. Remembering the young child, Bas looked over at Anna. It was the calm and serenity of the ten year old blonde, standing and watching, that gave Bas some hope. Anna could have been sad and emotional. It would have been understandable. Yet Bas found Anna to almost be bubbling with energy, just under the surface. At first he thought that she might be in some state of shock, but he was soon to find out otherwise. “Anna?” Bas quietly directed at the young girl standing near him. “Are you okay, sweetie?” “Yep.” She responded. There was more pep in her than usual. “Are you sure?” “Bas!” Anna said, turning her calm smile into an annoyed frown. “I’m okay.” “How can you be?” Bas asked. He, himself, was feeling a multitude of emotions swirling around inside. “I am because I know that he’s okay.” “You do?” “Well, he’s not okay-okay, but he’s not seriously hurt either.” Anna wrinkled her nose, looking upwards out of the corners of her eyes. “Allyson says she can feel him more than I can and she says that he’s more worried than anything.” “Worried about what?” Bas asked. He found himself almost enthralled by Anna’s casual revelations. “Father is worried about all of us, my brother, and the baby that Rena’s going to have.” Anna locked eyes with Bas. “He’s also trying to restrain himself from her.” “Who is this ‘her,’ Anna?” Bas was almost creeped out by Anna’s demeanor. “The green-skinned lady you saved on the ships.” Anna had a blank look in her eyes as she maintained her eye lock with Bas. He felt like she was looking right through him. “How do you know all of this?” “Through the Force, duh!” Anna squinted one eye as she frowned at Bas, seeming to come back to the present and out of her trance-like state. “What the heck do you think we’ve been training for?” Continue Reading Category:Events